Ho, May 12, GNA - Mr Bennette Dogbe, the Volta Regional Vice Chairman of the Association of Road Contractors (ASROC) on Friday appealed to the authorities to consider the efforts of local contractors and give them jobs.

He said "local contractors are hard working, honest and can equally compete favourably with their foreign counterparts". Mr Dogbe said this in a closing remark at a capacity building workshop for road contractors in Ho.

The four-day course, which was organized by ASROC in collaboration with INWENT, Germany, was on " pre-tendering and tendering". Mr Dogbe noted that ASROC and its development partners were always striving hard to get members well equipped with state of the art skills but most often had no job to test the skills acquired.

He said the attitude of demeaning local contractors by not offering them jobs was a great disincentive to national development since the locals knew the terrain better.

"It is therefore imperative that all the powers that be in the road industry revisit their attitude towards the local contractor especially the young and up and coming ones", he said.

Mr Richard Ameyiwodo, Public Relations Officer of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, advised them against shoddy works and the taking of too many contracts beyond their capabilities. 12 May 2006